Women's Basketball
    Kate Oliver Joins Women of Troy As Transfer
    A 6-4 forward, Oliver comes to USC from Marist.
    Kate Oliver is coming to Troy!
    Kate Oliver is coming to Troy!

    May 31, 2011

    Australian product Kate Oliver will make the move to Troy as the newest addition to the USC women's basketball roster, head coach Michael Cooper has announced. The 6-4 forward is coming to USC as a transfer from Marist, where she spent two seasons. Oliver's jump to USC brings the group of incoming Trojans for 2011-12 to four, as she joins freshman signees Deanna Calhoun, Ariya Crook-Williams and Alexyz Vaioletama on their way into Cooper's program.

    "Kate provides another big body for us. With her height and good shooting ability, she can really spread the floor for us as well," Cooper said. "She is a great kid with a high basketball IQ and is also very strong academically. She's really hit it off with the team already."

    In two seasons at Marist, Oliver played in every game for the Red Foxes, starting all but nine games. She was the team's fourth leading scorer and rebounder last season, averaging 8.0 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.5 blocks during Marist's 2010-11 season that saw the team finish 31-3 overall and reach the NCAA Second Round, ranking No. 21 in the final ESPN/USA Today Poll.

    A native of Sydney, Australia, Oliver attended the Australian Institute of Sport before signing on at Marist. She shot .380 from the floor, averaging 6.4 points, 3. 5 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game during her two seasons as a Red Fox. Back home in Australia, Oliver was a member of Australia's Under-17 and Under-19 National Teams, winning gold at the 2006 FIBA Under-21 Oceania Tournament and also competing at the 2008 FIBA Oceania World Qualifying Tournament.

    Oliver will join a USC program entering its third season under the direction of Michael Cooper. Last season, the Women of Troy reached the WNIT final -- their first postseason tournament championship game since the NCAA final in 1986 -- and finished the year with a 24-13 overall record, marking the most wins by the program since 1993-94.